Can you name them all yet?
From Zeke (MP13)
“Overwhelmed with the newfound emotions for the members of our Posse at YMCA Greenkill Retreat Center, Middlebury Posse 13 smiles for the camera outside our home for this memorable weekend. -July 17, 2011”
If you have more pictures from the retreat that you would like to submit, please send them to middleburyposse(at)gmail(dot)com
For part one of the series, click here.
As any scholar can attest, the best part about being Posse, aside from the warm fuzzies and weekly/bi-weekly/BIG meetings with each other and the mentors, is having someone to go for advice. So for the month of August, 2011 we asked the scholars, “I wish I had known or someone had told me… (about Middlebury)” and this is what they had to say:
“Don’t wear the lanyard thing they give you with your ID, it’ll mark you as a first year. Axinn is a great place to study and they’ve got a bunch of rooms where you can watch movies on a projector (Although a lot of buildings have that). Long johns aren’t necessary but I wear mine when its gets extremely cold and they’re freaking comfy. You need a good pair of boots for the snow, preferably ones that will be good in the rain/mud too. A lot of people have bikes on campus. I like having mine around but as you know everything is pretty walkable. You’ve got your posse to hang with and for support, but don’t forget to hang out with other people too!”
Matt (MP10)“Give everything a try! Classes that sound interesting, clubs you’re thinking of trying, lectures, trips, events, everything. Even food in the dining hall you’ve never had before. These are the years to experience as much as possible.
Parties to avoid: try all parties freshman year, avoid all those parties later on. Hide and seek: Big trees outside mccullough student center. Another big rush problem; dining halls, esp lunch and dinner. Ex: 12:25pm, lunch lines can be out the door, go early from your room, or leave class the second it gets out at 12:15.
MIDDLEBURY POSSE SCHOLARS** have a special posse donor to help us out if we need. Use it! That is how I paid for my flight to Australia my sophomore J-term.
Oh yeah, really consider going abroad. It doesn’t have to be for everyone, but college is a GREAT chance to travel. Even during J-term! That’s what I did.
Go skiing! I only went once, borrowed snow pants from a friend, rent equipment from the snow bowl. Give it a try.
I hope you live in Battell. Ugly rooms that feel like prison, can hear through the walls, loud neighbors, great time.
Classes/profs: dont be afraid to go to your professors and ask for help. Most of them would be delighted to help. Don’t be shy about asking other students to be study partners, I was always embarrassed about looking dumb. Chances are most students feel lost.”
Becca (MP8)“Be yourself. Never be ashamed of where you came from. Never feel the need to divide based on where you came from. Find a balance. Be cool and confident. Be calm. Have a strong sense of inter-personal awareness. Do what makes you happy. Have a strong sense of self. If you don’t because you’re young and the world doesn’t make sense yet (it might never) DO NOT BE AFRAID TO TRY NEW THINGS, TALK TO NEW PEOPLE, and GO TO NEW PLACES.
You can’t FIND yourself unless you expose yourself to different things but be careful not to LOSE yourself along the way…”
Sabrina (MP9)
Come back every Thursday during the month of August for the rest of the advice. And if you would still like to contribute, click here.
An awesome day at Midd
Hey guys! I’m Syeda from MP11 and I am working at Middlebury at the Main Library now known as the Davis Family library. Working at Middlebury is a great opportunity to do all those things you wanted to do but never really had the chance and it’s a great time to take advantage of Middlebury’s Language school.
You get to see Middlebury’s language program in action. Just to give an example of how serious the language school students take their pledge, I saw a friend of mine, a Chinese school student. She is going abroad in the Fall and I plan to go abroad in the Spring. Therefore, we won’t see each other all next year. She refused to talk to me in English. We tried to play charades and sign to each other, “How are you?” but all we could do was hug and smile at each other.
Middlebury in the summer is a great time to enjoy Middlebury without the stress of papers and midterms. I look at Language school students everyday and I forget this is how stressed I must look during the school year. It is a great time to practice any foreign languages Middlebury offers except Arabic and Japanese. I am a second year Arabic student so that didn’t help too much but I did learn how to say hi in Spanish, French, German, and Russian. It also becomes a great time to do independent studying to either get a head start for next year or catch up on language work from last year.
The weather is finally beautiful for once. Wearing sunscreen in Vermont is a shocker but it can actually be necessary during the summer. I got the chance to walk into town and shop around without feeling limited on time. I went to the Organic Garden to see the sunset; it was beautiful. I also went swinging in front of Twilight in the middle of the night and looked up at some stars. There was also berry picking, Pizza Put, and Six Flags involved in my summer. The days are long which is awesome for hikes and just a longer time to enjoy the beautiful, warm day. Middlebury during the year does not have too many of those. Whenever you have a chance, explore Vermont! (Outside of the Middlebury course load)
Welcome to this month’s “OneMic!” special! On top of being leaders in their respective fields, Posse scholars are all socially conscious and responsible citizens of their communities. Whether it’s about the current economic crisis (still) or the Asian carp situation in Proctor, they’ve got something to say about it. OneMic! is a monthly, month long feature/discussion around a pre-selected theme which we’ve asked the scholars to comment on.
As any scholar can attest, the best part about being Posse, aside from the warm fuzzies and weekly/bi-weekly/BIG meetings with each other and the mentors, is having someone to go for advice. So for the month of August, 2011 we asked the scholars, “I wish I had known or someone had told me… (about Middlebury)” and this is what they had to say.
“I wish someone had told me that you don’t NEED to stress out just to do well. Not every big assignment should feel like the end of the world–there’s a way around everything.”
Christine (MP10)“Meet the staff, they are awesome!”
Jon (MP12)“I wish I had known that there is no one organic type of the posse, each posse is different.
I wish I had known that between 4 and 6 the fitness center will be pretty crowded and funky.
I wish someone had told me to see my professors EARLY’; even if I don’t have a problem in the class, talking to/getting to know them is helpful in the learning process.
I wish I had known that the library during finals week is the most STRESSFUL place to be on campus.
I wish I had known about the really cheap bike sale that happens every year! Bikes for like 20 bucks!
I wish I had known about the dollar store/TX MAXX/RITE AID in town, it’s a slight distance, but they have those little things we need for great prices!”
Kya (MP11)“SLEEP!! While it may seem cool to boast about the 3/4 am bed times and getting only 3 hours of sleep a night with countless naps throughout the day, you are only doing yourself harm. The people that are really getting those grades/excelling in school are getting up early (8/9) and going to bed around midnight/1.
Structure yourself, it will only HELP you in the long run. I definitely wish this had dawned on me so much earlier so I didn’t walk around like a zombie half of my college career :)”
Besiana (MP8)
Come back every Thursday during the month of August for the rest of the advice. And if you would still like to contribute, click here.
Name: Morgane Veronique Richardson
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY and Los Angeles, CA
Major: Sociology/Anthropology and The History of Art and Architecture Major
Current Status: Co-founder and Executive Director at Mixtape Media
Founder, Refuse The Silence
Biography:
Morgane is a professional feminist, president of Mixtape Media and the founder of Refuse The Silence: Women of Color in Academia Speak Out. Her reflections on women, race and education have been published in numerous blogs and magazines including, Bitch, Feministing, University of Venus and More Magazine.
Aside from earning a degree with an all-too lengthy title (a joint BA in Sociology/Anthropology and The History of Art and Architecture), Morgane spent her time at Middlebury College shaking up the status quo and demanding respect for her peers’ rights.
After graduation Morgane put her experience as a campus organizer, Posse Scholar to use toward a career as a professional Feminist. In 2008 she founded Refuse The Silence, an initiative that encourages women of color who are currently enrolled in or have attended elite liberal arts colleges in the United States to share their stories.
In 2009, she co-founded a successful social media firm, Mixtape Media, which works on pro-social campaigns for clients like Russell Simmons and the United Nations. And in 2010 she took on a new role as Workshop Genius, traveling the country working with students and administrators to reconcile the existing hegemony within elite academia with the desire for diverse campuses.
Morgane is fourth wave antiracist feminist – approaching her generation’s inherited economic, environmental, and social issues with an innovative flair, a progressive mindset, and a practical implementation. MorganeRichardson.com, is a glimpse into her daily life and experiences as a feminist, and queer woman of color activist. She currently lives in Los Angeles, CA with her partner, Alexandra and their dog, Joplin.
Contact Information:
morgane.richardson(at)gmail(dot)com
Twitter
Facebook
Online Presence:
morganerichardson.com
refusethesilence.com
mixtapemedia.org